Friday, May 05, 2006

being jeremy freese

The other day I discovered that my kitchen sink was clogged. "Clogged" might be not quite right, as absolutely no liquid would go down at all. It was like pouring water into a bucket. I poked a fork down in there and it seemed like it was hitting metal or something. The garbage disposal would turn on, but it didn't clear the problem. I called my landlord, and they said to hit the reset button on the garbage disposal, but I couldn't find any such button. I also Googled "clog garbage disposal" and tried to follow those instructions, which involved reaching into the drain and turning the blades with an Allen wrench, but it was like I just hit this solid thing that wouldn't turn. So my landlord said they would send some plumber over.

I was gone when they here. I am glad, as it turns out that the "clog" was just the rubber stopper of my drain, upside down (so it looked sort of like a drain hole). I suspect I might be getting a call from my landlord asserting that I should be responsible for the cost of the plumber. If so, I'm not going to argue.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

did the plumber leave you a note? if so, could you scan and post it?

Anonymous said...

For future reference, the 'reset' button is generally on the bottom of the disposal, and pressing it a few times will clear most clogs.

Anonymous said...

You're quite sweet. Are you sure you're not Jacques Tati?

jeremy said...

The plumber left the drain stopper next to the drain, which was enough of a clue for me, especially once I turned it over and pondered.

Regarding Jacques Tati, this is not the first time an anonymous commenter has suggested this, although I don't know if it's the same anonymous commenter repeating her/himself.

John B. said...

I'm sure you have noted the delicious irony of this post's appearing immediately above the très-geeky post about Festoon, Google Talk, and all the rest . . .

Plumbing is so pre-Roman Empire.

Gwen said...

Ahem.

I recently fixed my garbage disposal, which had been broken for over 8 months. It just quit working one day, for no apparent reason. I never had the money to get it fixed.

Last week I moved the microwave, which is in front of an electric outlet. That's when I noticed this cord that was lying there, unplugged. I followed it down to...the garbage disposal. Once plugged in, the disposal worked just fine.

So I went without a garbage disposal for 8 months because I'm not smart enough to think to check if it's plugged in.

Thus, I can relate to your situation.

Anonymous said...

Due to my current status as unemployed, I am willing to offer my services as a plumber, carpenter, trash man, and whatever other "handyman" things sociologists need done. I have experience in plumbing and carpentry, plus a lifetime of experience in handyman sorts of things. Given that I live in Iowa, travel times will not be instantaneous and service calls will be based on miles traveled, your local "handyman" may be less expensive and more convenient for you. However, I am witty, semi-intelligent, and make one hell of a good martini. And, since I have been reading Jeremy and Gwen's blogs, I really kind of like sociologists!

jeremy said...

Gwen: Hilarious!

Cap'n Crab: You should think outside the box. You could have fixed both Gwen and my problems from a simple webcam setup. You should consider going into business as a virtual handyman for the Internet-saavy but otherwise mechanically-disinclined. Additionally, you could also go into business as a virtual martini-maker and bartender.

Tonya said...

My dishwasher hasn't worked for about 6 months now. I wish that I had a landlord I could call to take care of getting it fixed.

Unfortunately, all I have is myself to turn to and I'm just not very reliable about these sorts of things.

Anonymous said...

Tonya could use dishwasher to store things in (diamonds, pearls etc.).

jeremy said...

Tonya: You don't have just yourself. You have income you can use to throw at people to solve these problems. You deserve dishwater satisfaction!

Anonymous said...

Jeremy: That is the simplest explanation of capitalism I have ever read! You could be an economist.